Grottos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small, often decorative or artificial cave or chamber, typically found in gardens or parks
2. A secluded or sheltered space designed for relaxation or contemplation, resembling a cave-like structure
3. A natural or human-made cave with artistic or natural features, often used for gatherings or retreats

Etymology: "Grottos" is the plural of "grotto," so it simply refers to more than one of these small caves or chambers. The singular has a long pedigree: it comes from Italian "grotta," which itself descends from a Vulgar Latin form "grupta," the everyday spoken Latin that existed alongside the classical literary language. That Vulgar Latin form traces back to Classical Latin "crypta," meaning a vault or hidden place, and this is the same root behind the English word "crypt." The two are doublets: one entered English through the scholarly and ecclesiastical channel, while the other came through Italian, where the sound shifted and the word took on the sense of a natural or artificial cave. The English word thus shares its ancestry with the burial vaults beneath churches.

Synonyms: caves, caverns